Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/198

 190 ILLINOIS ployed in the public schools. A marked fea- ture recently introduced into the educational system of this state is the requirement making the elements of natural science a part of the common-school course. The permanent school funds of the state comprise : 1, the school fund proper, being 3 per cent, upon the net proceeds of the sales of the public lands in the state, one sixth part excepted; 2, surplus revenue, de- rived from the distribution in 1836 of the sur- plus revenue of the United States ; 3, the col- lege fund, being one sixth of the 3 per cent, fund originally required by congress to be de- voted to the establishment and maintenance of a state college or university ; 4, the seminary fund, derived from sales of lands granted to the state by the general government for the estab- lishment of a state seminary ; 5, county funds, created by the legislature in 1835 ; 6, township funds, arising from the sales of public lands granted by congress for common-school pur- poses. The aggregate amount of these funds on Sept. 30, 1872, was $6,382,248, as follows : school fund proper, $613,363; surplus revenue, $335,592; college fund, $156,613; seminary fund, $59,839 ; county funds, $348,285 ; town- ship funds, $4,868,555. The total income for school purposes in 1872 from these funds and the current school funds was $7,500,122 ; the chief items of the income from current funds being $900,000 from the two-mill tax, and $5,292,942 raised by ad valorem tax in the dis- tricts for general purposes. The condition of the common schools in 1872, according to the latest biennial report of the superintendent of public instruction, was as follows : Number of school districts 11,231 " " " houses 11,289 " " public schools (high 83, graded 611, un- graded 10,69T) 11,376 Average duration of schools 6 months, 27 days. Persons between 6 and 21 years of age 882,698 Number enrolled in schools 662,049 Average daily attendance 829,799 Number of teachers (male 9,094, female 11,880). . 20,924 Average monthly salaries of male teachers $50 00 " ' " female teachers $39 00 Total annual cost per pupil on school census $5 61 " enrollment $7 48 " u " " average daily atten- dance $15 02 Total income for school purposes $7.500,122 Total expenditures $7,480,889 Total approximate value of school property, inclu- ding nouses, land, furniture, libraries, <fec $19,876.708 Number of private schools 486 pupils in private schools 84,784 volumes in district libraries 64,286 " persons between 12 and 21 years of age unable to read and write 6,763 The state normal university, for the training of teachers, at Normal, was organized in 1857, and comprises, besides the usual departments, a model school. The course of instruction is three years, upon the completion of which a diploma is conferred. In 1873 there were 13 instructors, besides a large number of pupils acting as teachers, and 730 pupils, of whom 437 were in the normal and 293 in the model school. The southern Illinois normal university, at Car- bondale, was completed in 1874. In addition to these state institutions, there are county normal schools in Cook and Peoria counties, a German-English normal school at Galena, and normal departments connected with several other institutions. For the further instruction of teachers, numerous county institutes are held, besides occasional sessions of the state teachers' institute. The Illinois industrial uni- versity, opened in 1868, is both state and na- tional, having been organized by the legisla- ture, and having received the national grant of lands intended for the establishment of colleges of agriculture and the mechanic arts. This in- stitution is situated at Urbana, where it has one of the finest buildings of the kind in the country, being four stories high and 214 ft. long, with a depth on the wings of 122 ft. The grounds comprise 623 acres, including stock farm, experimental farm, orchards, gar- dens, nurseries, forest plantations, arboretum, botanic garden, ornamental grounds, and mili- tary parade ground. The property and funds of the university amount to nearly $800,000. Students of both sexes are admitted. The uni- versity embraces a college of agriculture, com- prising a school of agriculture proper and a school of horticulture and fruit growing; a college of engineering, with schools of mechani- cal science, civil and mining engineering, and architecture ; a college of natural science, with schools of chemistry and natural history ; and a college of literature and science, with a school of English and modern languages and one of ancient languages and literature. There are also schools of commerce, military science, and domestic science and arts. Entire free- dom in the choice of studies is allowed to each student; but the completion of one of these courses or the prescribed equivalents is necessary to graduation. The number of pu- pils in 1873 was 402, of whom 74 were fe- males. The Illinois agricultural college, at Ir- vington, organized in 1866, had 226 students and 6 instructors in 1873. The course of in- struction is four years. Besides the buildings in use, the institution has 550 acres of land. According to the census of 1870, Illinois had 26 colleges, with 223 instructors and 4,657 pupils ; 32 academies, with 201 instructors and 4,690 pupils ; 2 law schools, with 3 instruc- tors and 61 students ; 2 medical schools, with 19 instructors and 358 pupils ; 9 theological schools, with 28 instructors and 575 pupils ; besides 2 schools of agriculture, 2 of commerce, and 2 of art and music. Six of these institu- tions were classified as universities. Besides the above named, there were 531 private day and boarding schools, with 1,526 teachers, of whom 1,035 were females, and 41,456 pu- pils, of whom 21,044 were females. The total number of schools, public and private, was 11,- 835, having 24,056 teachers, of whom 13,645 were females, and 767,775 pupils, including 377,820 females. The total income of all the educational institutions was $9,970,009, of which $252,569 was derived from endowments,